Cry in the Night

by Hart, Carolyn G.

  So much for preconceived ideas. Nela closed the door behind her. She set the suitcase upright and turned to explore the rest of the apartment. She took two steps, then, breath gone, pulse pounding, stared across the room. She reached out to grip the back of a chair, willing herself to stay upright. She began to tremble, defenses gone, memory flooding, not hot but cold and dark and dreary.

  The cat’s huge round eyes seemed to grow larger and larger.

  Lost in the intensity of the cat’s gaze, she was no longer in a strange apartment half a continent from home. Instead, numb and aching, she was at Bill’s house with Bill’s mother, face etched in pain, eyes red-rimmed, and his sobbing sisters and all of his huge and happy family, which had gathered in sorrow. Bill’s brother Mike spoke in a dull monotone: He was on patrol . . . stepped on an IED . . .

  Unbearable images had burned inside. She had turned away, dropped into a chair in the corner of the room. Bill’s cat was lying on the piano bench, looking at her. Splotches of white marked Big Man’s round black face.

  Big Man stared with mesmerizing green eyes. “. . . He’s gone . . . dead . . . yesterday . . . legs blown away . . . blood splashing . . .”

  Through the next frozen week, Big Man’s thoughts recurred like the drumbeat of a dirge. But, of course, they were her thoughts, too hideous to face and so they came to her reflected from the cat Bill loved.

  The next week an emaciated feral cat confronted her in the alley behind the apartment house. Gaunt, ribs showing, the cat whirled toward her, threat in every tense line. She looked into pale yellow eyes. “. . . starving . . . That’s my rat . . . Get out of my way . . .”

  Rat? She’d jerked around and seen a flash of gray fur near the Dumpster. Back in her apartment, she’d tried to quell her quick breaths. Her mind had been jumbled, that’s all. She’d seen a desperate cat and known there was garbage and of course there might be rats. She had not read the cat’s thoughts.

  Of course she hadn’t.

  Like calendar dates circled in red, she remembered other episodes. At the beauty shop, a cuddly white cat turned sea blue eyes toward her. “. . . The woman in the third chair’s afraid . . . The redhead is mean . . . The skinny woman’s smile is a lie . . .” At a beach taco stand, a rangy black tom with a white-tipped tail and a cool, pale gaze. “. . . rank beef . . . People want the baggies from the blue cooler . . . afraid of police . . .” On a neighbor’s front porch swing, an imperious Persian with a malevolent face. “. . . I’m the queen . . . I saw the suitcase . . . If she boards me, she’ll be sorry . . .”

  Now, a few feet away from her, a lean brown tabby with distinctive black stripes and oversized ears stood in a circle of light from an overhead spot—of course the cat chose that spot seeking warmth from the bulb—and gazed at Nela with mournful eyes. “. . . Dead . . . Dead and gone . . . She loved me . . . board rolled on the second step . . .”

  Nela fought a prickle of hysteria. She was tired. Maybe she was crazy. Boards didn’t roll. . . . Unless he meant a skateboard. Skateboards were rolling boards. Was that how a cat would describe a skateboard? Was she losing her mind? Cats and a board that rolled and skateboards. How weird to think of a skateboard on a step. She hadn’t thought of skateboards in years. Bill had done the best ollies in the neighborhood. His legs were stocky and strong. The IED . . . Oh God. Maybe it was because the cat had such distinctive black stripes. Bill’s skateboard had been shiny orange with black stripes. She had to corral her mind, make her thoughts orderly. No one saw what was in a cat’s mind. She was making it up. From a board that rolled to skateboards. Maybe she needed to see a doctor. No. This would pass.

  The cat gave a sharp chirp, walked across the parquet flooring.

  She backed away, came up hard with her back against the front door.

  The cat looked up. “. . . Hungry . . . Feed me . . . We’re both sad . . .”

  With the beauty of movement peculiar to cats, he moved swiftly past her toward the kitchen.

  We’re both sad . . .

  Nela looked after him. Slowly her frantic breathing eased. The cat—he had to be Jugs with ears like those—was not a threat. She was fighting to keep away memories that hurt. It made sense that she’d ascribe sadness to a cat with a dead mistress. Cats needed attention. Maybe he’d let her pet him. As for imagining his thoughts, her mind was playing a trick. Maybe she wasn’t quite crazy. She struggled to remember the professor’s droning voice in Psych 1. What had he said? Then she remembered. Displacement. That’s what she was doing. Displacement. She clung to the word.

  It took every fiber of her will but she quieted her quick breaths and moved with deliberation toward the kitchen. Food would help and the welcome distraction of finding her way about in a strange place.

  Next to the refrigerator, she spotted a sheet of paper taped to a cabinet door. Chloe had printed, neatly for her:

  Feed Jugs a.m. and p.m., one-half can and one full scoop dry food. Fresh water. He’s a sweetie. He adored Marian. Of course I called her Miss Grant at the office. You remember Marlene Dietrich in a black pillbox in No Highway in the Sky? That was Marian Grant, a cool blonde, always efficient, knew everybody and everything and scared everyone to death.

  Jugs stood on his back paws, scratched at the cabinet door.

  Now she was able to look at the cat without a sense of dread. They were fellow creatures, both of them hungry, both of them grieving. “All right, Jugs.” As Nela gently opened the door, Jugs dropped to the floor and moved toward his bowl. She emptied a half can into a blue ceramic bowl with Jugs painted in white on one side. Nela placed the bowl on newspaper already spread on the floor. She added a scoop of chicken-flavored dry pellets to a yellow bowl with his name in blue. She poured fresh water in a white bowl.

  Nela found, as promised, pizza in the fridge. In only a moment, thanks to the microwave, she settled at the kitchen table with two slices of hot, crisp anchovy pizza, a small Caesar salad, and a glass of iced tea.

  Jugs thumped onto the other end of the table. He made no move to come toward the food. Instead, he settled on his stomach, front paws flat on the table.

  Nela studied him gravely as she ate. “You are obviously a privileged character. But you have very good manners. Did Miss Grant allow you to sit on the table when she ate?”

  The cat blinked. “. . . She was worried . . . She didn’t know what to do . . .”

  Determinedly, Nela looked away. That was the human condition. Worry about the rain. Worry about cancer. Worry about war. Worry about money. Worry about . . . The list could go on and on; big worries and little, everyone had them. Whatever worries had plagued Marian Grant, she was now beyond their reach. Nela felt puzzled. Chloe spoke of Miss Grant as if she’d seen her recently at the office but she’d made no mention of illness. If Marian Grant hadn’t been old or sick, how had she died? Why had she been worried?

  Nela finished the second slice. She’d do the dishes and look through the rest of Chloe’s notes. Surely, tucked in somewhere, she’d left directions to her job and explained what she did.

  Nela carried Chloe’s folder into the living room. She looked around the room at colorful Rothko prints. Nela’s gaze stopped at a bright red cat bed near the desk. Jugs was curved into a ball, one paw across his face, taking an after-dinner snooze. She was, of course, wide awake. It was almost ten here and darkness pressed against the windows, but her body was still on California time. Oh well, she was in no hurry. No one expected her to do anything until Monday morning.

  No one would call who really mattered to her. Not since Bill died . . .

  Nela hurried to the chintz sofa, sank onto one end, opened the folder, and looked at a haphazard pile of loose sheets. She began to read the handwritten notes, glad to push away remembrance.

  . . . different world. You know, the rich. They really are different. If I had Blythe Webster’s money, I’d go around the world. But I guess she’s been there, done that. She’s pretty nice. She just started spending a lot of time at the foundat
ion last fall. Blythe’s around forty, kind of stiff and prim. Think Olivia de Havilland . . .

  Nela’s stiff shoulders relaxed. It was almost as comforting as pulling up one of her grandmother’s afghans. She and Chloe had grown up on old movies, the free ones on Turner Classic Movies.

  . . . in The Heiress, dark hair, one of those cameo-smooth faces, neat features, but something about her makes you remember her. It’s probably all that money. You think? She’s looked washed-out since Miss Grant died. I don’t know if she can handle things by herself. Miss Grant’s the one that made the place go.

  Nela felt a spurt of exasperation. What place, Chloe? Nela scanned more tidbits about people.

  . . . Abby’s soooo serious. I mean, you’d think Indian baskets were like religious relics. Sure, the mess was a shame but a basket’s a basket. If she’d use a little makeup, she has gorgeous eyes, but with those sandy brows you kind of don’t notice them. Of course, Miss Grant took everything seriously, too. Maybe that’s why she ran four miles every morning. You’d think handing out money would be easy as pie. I could hand out money and not act like I had boulders on my shoulders. Anyway, everything’s been kind of nuts since the fire alarm and the sprinklers. I was afraid Louise was going to have a stroke. Usually she’s pretty nice. The director’s kind of like James Stewart in The Shop Around the Corner. When he walks by women, it’s boobs up, butts tucked. They don’t even realize they’re doing it!!!

  Nela smiled at the triple exclamation points, though she’d chide Chloe for her language. Or maybe not. Chloe was Chloe.

  . . . He’s tall and angular and has this bony appealing face. I’m pretty sure I glimpsed lust even in the eyes of the T. People call Miss Webster the T because she’s the trustee. Not to her face, of course. I wonder if the job description for director of the Haklo Foundation stipulated: Only handsome dudes need apply.

  Nela seized on the clue: Haklo Foundation. A few sentences later, she hit pay dirt.

  . . . It’s a five-minute drive. Kind of quaint after LA. Hills and trees and cows and stuff. The foundation’s a yellow stucco building with a red tile roof. When you leave the apartment, turn right on Cimarron and keep going. You can’t miss it. Leland’s dad—his mom’s dead—had me over to dinner when we got to Craddock. His dad had some connection to the foundation. He tried to get me a job there but they didn’t need anybody. Louise told him if anything opened up, they’d be glad to have me. When Louise’s assistant quit, I got the job. Louise is the top-dog secretary. I was lucky there was an opening. She probably wouldn’t have left except for the car fire. She shouldn’t have left her car unlocked. I didn’t know there was any place in the world where people didn’t lock their cars. Of course, she wasn’t in the car when it happened and I think the foundation got her a new car. At least that’s what Rosalind told me and she always knows everything and she loves to talk. She’s a sweetheart. Anyway, I’ll bet it was just somebody raising hell, though Rosalind thinks the point was to screw things up for the T. She’s kind of under fire from some of the old hands because she’s the one that brought in the new director and has made a bunch of changes. But I mean, that’s a pretty roundabout way. Anyway, I got the job and Leland drops me off and picks me up. How about that! Chauffeur service and . . . Oh well, you get the picture.

  Nela’s lips curved. In a perfect world, she’d like to see Chloe walking down the aisle with a regular guy, not hopping on the back of a vagabond’s Harley. On a positive note, Leland had brought her to his hometown and introduced her to his father. As usual, Nela wasn’t clear what Leland did—if anything—but Chloe always sounded happy when she called. Besides—one of Chloe’s favorite words—her sister’s boyfriends might have their quirks, from a vegetarian chef to a treasure hunter, but so far they’d all turned out to be nice men. Otherwise, Nela would have been worried about a faraway jaunt to Tahiti with a guy Chloe had known only since last summer.

  Nela closed the folder. Tomorrow she’d scout around, spot the foundation, do some grocery shopping.

  A creak startled her.

  She looked up in time to see a cat door flap fall as lean hindquarters and a tall black tail disappeared into darkness through the front door. So Jugs was an indoor-outdoor fellow. He’d had his nap and was ready to roam.

  An in and out cat. That meant he went down the garage apartment stairs. That’s how he would see if a board rolled on the second step. . . . Nonsense. Boards didn’t roll and that’s all there was to it.

  Except for skateboards.

  “That’s enough, Nela.” She spoke aloud. That was enough, more than enough, of her odd and silly imaginings about the thoughts of cats. She forced herself to focus on what she felt was an improvement. She and Jugs were sharing space. That was definitely a step in the right direction. Thankfully, he’d remained aloof. Maybe the next time she looked at him, she’d be able to discipline her mind. Maybe his presence would help prove she had nothing to fear from cats. Maybe she’d finally be able to face what was in her mind, come to grips with grief.

  Bill . . .

  She pushed up from the couch, willing away memory. She walked swiftly to the bookcases that lined one wall, looked at titles to try to force other thoughts into her mind. It hurt too much to think of Bill and their plans that ended in blood and death. The phone rang.

  Startled, Nela turned. After a moment’s hesitation, she walked swiftly to the cream-colored phone on the desk near the bookshelves. “Hello.” Her answer was tentative.

  “Nela, you’re there! How’s everything? Did you find the pizza? Isn’t Jugs a honeybunch?”

  Nela had felt so alone when she arrived. Hearing Chloe’s husky voice was like a welcoming hug. “He’s great. I’m great. How about you and Leland?”

  “Oooooh.” It was halfway between a squeal and a coo. “You can’t believe how gorgeous everything is. We had to catch a red-eye to get to LA in time for our flight, but we made it. We just checked in and we’re leaving to ride an outrigger. Doesn’t that sound like fun? He’s already downstairs so I better scoot. Thanks, Nela. You’re the best.”

  Nela shook her head as she replaced the receiver in the cradle. Talking to Chloe was like trying to catch a shooting star. None of her questions were answered: What was the job? Where was it? What happened to Miss Grant? Perhaps she should follow Chloe’s example and let the good times roll. In Chloe’s world, everything seemed to work out. Nela smiled. Have fun, sweetie. Be happy. Love him because . . .

  Again there were images to block, pain to forestall. She swung again to the bookshelves. She’d find a weighty tome, read until she felt sleepy. Midway through the first shelf, she pulled out a large picture book and carried it to the sofa. The cover photograph featured a marble statue of a tall, lean man. Even in cold stone, the hard-ridged face compelled attention. Deep-set eyes, a beaked nose, and jutting chin proclaimed power, strength, and ruthless determination. Behind the statue rose wide steps leading to a pale yellow stucco building. The title was in red Gothic letters: The Haklo Foundation: The Story of Harris Webster and the Fortune He Shared.

  She thumbed through the beautifully crafted book. No expense had been spared in its production. She turned back to the introduction. Harris Webster was the descendant of an early Craddock family. Caleb Webster arrived in the Chickasaw Nation in 1885. After his marriage to Mary Castle, a member of the Chickasaw Nation, he began to prosper. He wrangled horses for her father and later opened an early dry goods store, apparently on very thin credit. He prospered, added a livery stable, and established a bank. His son, Lewis, increased the family’s wealth with a cattle ranch. The Websters were one of Craddock’s leading families, but the great wealth came from Caleb’s grandson, Harris, a hugely successful wildcatter in the nineteen fifties and sixties. He sold Webster Exploration to Exxon for one hundred million dollars in 1988. Harris Webster married Ellen White in 1970. Their first child died at birth. A daughter, Blythe, was born in 1973 and a second daughter, Grace, in 1985. Ellen died in 1987 from cancer.

>   Webster set up a trust, establishing the foundation in 1989 with an endowment of fifty million dollars. He served as the sole trustee until his death in 2007. His designated successor as sole trustee was his oldest daughter, Blythe.

  The following facing pages featured portraits in oval frames. Caleb Webster’s blunt, square-jawed face looked young and appealing, the black-and-white photo likely taken when he was in his late twenties. His hair was parted in the middle, his collar high and stiff. Mary Castle’s dark hair was drawn back in a bun, emphasizing the severity of her features—deep-set eyes, high-bridged nose and high cheekbones, thin lips pursed. She had looked gravely into the camera with a questioning gaze. The rest of the portraits were in color. Lewis Webster was dark-haired and narrow-faced with a strong chin. A merry smile curved the lips of his round-faced, blond wife, Lillian.

  Harris Webster’s color portrait, taken possibly when he was in his forties, exuded vigor and strength. Unlike the other photographs, he was pictured outdoors against a leafy background, a breeze ruffling thick black curls. Bronze skin suggested hours spent under the sun. His brown eyes stared confidently into the camera. His smile was that of a man who met any challenge with complete expectation of victory. His pale blond wife, Ellen, appeared fragile. Her expression was pensive, a woman turned inward.

  The portraits of the Webster daughters hung side by side, affording an interesting contrast. Blythe Webster looked intelligent, imperious, and reserved. Ebony hair framed an oval face with a pleasant, though aloof, expression. The straight, unwavering stare of her dark brown eyes hinted at unknown depths. Her much younger sister, Grace, was blue-eyed with a fair complexion. Strawberry blond hair cascaded in thick curls. Her smile was amused, possibly wry, but there was something in the cast of her face that suggested a will that would not bend.